What to watch during week two of college wrestling

The college season is officially underway! Action continues in week two with tournaments across the nation featuring competition at all levels. Here are five events you won’t want to miss this weekend, all streaming live on FloWrestling.

A top matchup between two of the strongest teams in women’s collegiate wrestling, the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Marietta, Georgia, to take on the Life Running Eagles. These teams last faced each other on January 21, 2024, with Iowa coming out on top 35-6. Sarah Savidge secured a 11-0 tech (four points) while Jamilah and Latifah McBryde scored points in their respective matches without getting pinned (one point each). 

Life is an NAIA powerhouse; Jamilah McBryde won a title at last year’s NAIA National Championships. Three Running Eagles earned runner-up finishes to accompany McBryde’s title: Sarah Savidge at 130 pounds, Zaynah McBryde at 136 pounds and Latifah McBryde at 155 pounds. Life secured a national runner-up finish for the second year in a row, and picked up eight All-Americans in total.

In its first national championship as a varsity program in the 2023-24 season, the University of Iowa won its first National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships team title. Iowa had nine wrestlers in the finals, with two of the matches between Iowa teammates. When it was over, the Hawkeyes came home with six individual champions: Welker, plus Emilie Gonzalez (101), Ava Bayless (109), Felicity Taylor (116), Reese Larramendy (143) and Marlynne Deede (155) last season. Iowa has three Senior World medalists in its lineup: 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades, two-time World medalist Macey Kilty and 2024 World bronze medalist Kylie Welker.

The weekend begins with the Throwdown on the Yorktown on November 8, an event that will make history by taking place on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown, a retired aircraft carrier turned museum in Charleston Harbor. This unique event features eight competitive teams across several divisions: The Citadel, Army West Point, University of Virginia, Gardner-Webb, Lander, Newberry, Presbyterian College (women), and Campbellsville (women). The event will include six duals: The Citadel vs. Army West Point, The Citadel vs. University of Virginia, Gardner-Webb vs. Army West Point, Gardner-Webb vs. University of Virginia, Lander vs. Newberry, and Presbyterian College (women) vs. Campbellsville (women).

The 2024 Journeymen WrangleMania is set to kick off on November 9 at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The event is slated to feature competitions on three mats, with weigh-ins starting at 8:00 a.m. ET and matches beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET. This year’s event will feature thirteen college wrestling programs, including NC State, Arizona State, Illinois, Rutgers, Campbell, Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Buffalo, Sacred Heart, California Baptist, Virginia Military Institute, Long Island, and Binghamton.

The Tiger Style Invite, hosted by the University of Missouri, begins on November 9. This is the third installment of the early season tournament, and will take place at Staley High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Six teams – Missouri, Little Rock, Purdue, Maryland, Cal Poly, and SIU Edwardsville – will compete at this event. A number of ranked wrestlers, including No. 2 Keegan O’Toole and No. 4 Matt Ramos, are featured in the lineups at this invite.

On Sunday, November 10, the Journeyman Collegiate Classic promises an electrifying start to the college wrestling season at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pa. This annual round-robin event features a strong group of 16 teams, including powerhouses like Cornell, NC State, Illinois, Lehigh, and Arizona State. Joining them are Pittsburgh, Army West Point, Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, Binghamton, Harvard, VMI, Hofstra, Franklin & Marshall, Sacred Heart, and Duke.